# Do cops ever pull over buses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027 "2012-10-17T16:36:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/41 "2012-10-18T14:21:17Z")
As a bus driver, I hear about buses being pulled over from time to time. One was from a friend who was on an undivided two lane road. A school bus was on the opposite side with its red lights flashing. My friend stopped initially, but saw his bus stop like five feet ahead, and so decided to creep forward a bit so he could drop off passengers. A cop saw and gave him a ticket for failing to stop when a school bus had its red lights flashing. In another city cops are notorious for stopping buses that fail to make a full safety stop at RR crossings (generally when they made a “California stop” ) and running red lights. They don’t pull over light rail trains but supervisors can monitor everything that goes on remotely. The most common rule broken is running red lights (either due to operator fatigue or the train fouling the limit line slightly). On an Automatic Block System, there is a safety override that causes all signal lights in the block to turn red if a train runs a red (to prevent a collision). Run a red in the train, and EVERYONE will know! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/42 "2012-10-18T15:15:04Z")
In eleven years of handling traffic cases in an Ohio big-city court, I’ve never heard of a bus being pulled over by a cop, but I’m sure it happens now and then. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/43 "2012-10-18T16:08:45Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > In another city cops are notorious for stopping buses that fail to make a full safety stop at RR crossings (generally when they made a “California stop” ) and running red lights. Why ARE buses required to stop at RR crossings, anyway? Are those really that much more hazardous for buses than for cars or trucks (which generally are not required to make that stop)? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/44 "2012-10-18T21:10:45Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > It seems that at least here, stopping to render aid at an injury accident would be acceptable in some cases. Both the agency I retired from and the one I work for now would only allow it if there was some risk to an officer involved. Additional units were close enough that it do something outweighed the risks involved. As far as my old agency, keep in mind, that when we did actual “prisoner” transports, these were actual inmates from the jail who were being taken to prison for serious crimes for long sentences. Risk of escape attempts was higher. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/45 "2012-10-18T21:13:15Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > I know a police officer who once managed to stop a train and ticket the engineer for speeding. Yes, it stood up in court. Buses are certainly fair game! > [@friedo](#): > > I know someone who knows a police officer who’s full of crap. There was an agency around here that was stopping trains and issuing citations to engineers for blowing their horns at certain times of day, or for going too slow and blocking track crossings for too long. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/46 "2012-10-18T22:50:48Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Why ARE buses required to stop at RR crossings, anyway? Are those really that much more hazardous for buses than for cars or trucks (which generally are not required to make that stop)? Consider this. Bus is hit by a train. Casualties: 60 Truck is hit by train. Casualties: 1 (driver), plus a whole lot of hamburger across the highway. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/47 "2012-10-18T23:04:41Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I’m pretty sure I’ve seen some Houston Metro buses pulled over with cops behind them, but I don’t know what they were doing. Could have been there for emergency services for all I know. Might be. Could also be the driver ran a stop, ran a red, was speeding, or committing some other moving violations. Metro drivers aren’t much worse than average automobile drivers, but they aren’t better, either, which can be a problem. They aren’t always caught but some are. For example, [here](http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Bus-driver-faulted-in-Metro-crash-downtown-1715376.php)’s one Metro driver who ran a red light right into the light rail who had previously been cited for making an illegal turn on red. Apparently, most tickets for Metro bus drivers in Houston involve speeding ([link](http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Rough-road-Metro-bus-drivers-had-1-029-wrecks-1716396.php)). ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/48 "2012-10-19T05:51:35Z")
I did not witness this myself but was told about it by a friend who did. Some years ago when light rail was starting up in San Jose, there were a couple stretches where the street was one way and the rails were separated on the right side. People would not be used to looking over their right shoulder as they made a right turn across the tracks to spot a light rail car coming up on them and a collision would ensue. After a month or so of (fortunately) non-fatal collisions, No Right Turn signs were being posted at the intersections, including one where a bus route turned right. A bus did turn right, was pounced on by a waiting officer, and a shouting match started. “You can’t turn here!” “My _route_ turns here!” It amused my friend greatly to watch two branches of the same government yelling at each other. He didn’t see if a citation was issued or not. Within a day or so there was an Except Busses addendum to the sign. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/49 "2012-10-19T12:32:34Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Ambulances run a very similar policy, if you come upon a car accident while on the way to another high priority call or already have a patient on board, you go past and call it in. The clock has been ticking longer on your current call than the one you just found. Wouldn’t that depend on what the reason for the original call is? “Transportation of non-critical patient with mobility problems to have a routine MRI” isn’t the same as “person in the middle of possible heart attack”. ---
**Author:** ![Klostertal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@Klostertal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klostertal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/50 "2012-10-19T14:46:24Z")
Once during the bus ride home from middle school (mid-90’s), we were pulled over because a cop car behind us saw kids sitting in the aisle. The cop suspected overcrowding, and he was right. Every seat had three kids in it, the extra eleven were standing or sitting in the aisle. I’m not sure what happened to the driver but the school administrators got in big trouble. It was on the local news the next day. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/51 "2012-10-19T15:55:52Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > There was an agency around here that was stopping trains and issuing citations to engineers for blowing their horns at certain times of day, or for going too slow and blocking track crossings for too long. How does a cop stop a train? Its not like they can instantly stop, or that the train can “pull over”. Also, the cop car cannot follow the train down the tracks. The engineer could just plead ignorance (“I didn’t see him”). ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/52 "2012-10-20T16:32:54Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > How does a cop stop a train? The area was one of high industry and they were going to the next factory where cars were to be attached and citing the train operators there. For a while there was a problem around here with trains taking too long to go through crossings. There were ordinances passed that limited the cross time to 2 minutes and 5 minutes depending on time of day. The average times had gotten as high as 11 minutes (:mad: ) and some were even as long as 17 minutes (:eek: ). It was ridiculous! ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/53 "2012-10-20T21:33:07Z")
Well, I wish there was one around last night, because I had a bus (chartered by the looks of it) try a U-turn on a 6 lane road. He didn’t quite make it, so I had to sit at the traffic light as it went green while he backed up a bit before he managed to pull off the turn. ---
**Author:** ![Rumata](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rumata/32/4632_2.png) [@Rumata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumata)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/54 "2012-10-20T23:48:24Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > A variation of this is actually an interview question for folks seeking a career in law enforcement. The scenario is along the line of \*“you and your partner are transporting an inmate when you come upon the scene of a car accident with apparent injuries. What do you do?” \* This actually reminds something I saw recently: there was some sort of accident and only a single cop on scene. One guy was lying and the other looked like he was trying to he him. Meanwhile the paid no attention to them but took notes while talking to a witness. Isn’t he required to provide medical help while paramedics are not there yet? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/55 "2012-10-21T04:27:33Z")
> [@Rumata](#): > > Isn’t he required to provide medical help while paramedics are not there yet? Depends on the jurisdiction. Here I have to at least summon appropriate medical help. I am only required to provide aid if I am able and it is not a risk to myself. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027/56 "2012-10-21T09:06:12Z")
I was on an inter-city bus once in Scotland, which was pulled over for running a red light. The driver had run the red light because the bus was late and we had a ferry to catch to Ireland. We missed the ferry. It was the last one til morning. Yeah, the passengers were pretty pissed off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-ever-pull-over-buses/638027.md?page=2)